Kentucky communities can apply for grant money to help clean up brownfield sites.

Officials with the Kentucky Brownfield Redevelopment Program say $182,000 is being released to assist with cleanup projects in the state.

Brownfields are properties that are abandoned or underutilized due to real or perceived environmental contamination. The sites can include old factories, former gas stations, mine-scarred lands and abandoned dry cleaning establishments.

Officials say that in the new round of grants, applicants can seek up to $50,000 for an eligible hazardous waste or petroleum contamination cleanup project. Applicants can include local governments, nonprofits and quasi-governmental agencies.

Application documents can be found on the Kentucky Brownfield Redevelopment Program website at http://dca.ky.gov/brownfields/Pages/Cleanercommonwealthfund.aspx .

Funding announcements will be made in April, and projects will start in July.